Need a Useful Yet Beautiful Graduation Gift? Stata Cheat Sheets

I suggest printing these out (ideally in color) and framing them! They're beautiful! And practical! I love them all...can't wait to start using the keyboard shortcuts.

How to Be Innovative

I just saw this Ted Talk on the habits of original thinkers. Really, that's what we're in the business of doing: coming up with innovative ideas and following through with those ideas. Lots of good advice in the talk. My favorite: "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most. You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones." And honestly, all you need is a few good ideas. Nobody will care about or even notice all of your bad ones.

I also like his insights on procrastination. No, this does not mean you should wait until the last minute to write that proposal, third year paper, etc.! It does suggest that before hurrying to send that brand new paper to a journal, you should present it at several conferences and share it with trusted colleagues. Yes, you may get good suggestions from them, but even if you don't, it is very likely that you yourself will come up with ideas for substantial improvements while you wait for responses from people.

Dominicans Love Regression Discontinuity Design

I just got back from celebrating my little brother's wedding in the Dominican Republic (AKA República Dominicana). I really liked these pens spotted in a gift shop. ;)